Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title II Chapter 12
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 12, § 27 (2026)

District attorneys; duties; control of attorney general

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 27. District attorneys within their respective districts shall appear for the commonwealth in the superior court in all cases, criminal or civil, in which the commonwealth is a party or interested, and in the hearing, in the supreme judicial court, of all questions of law arising in the cases of which they respectively have charge, shall aid the attorney general in the duties required of him, and perform such of his duties as are not required of him personally; but the attorney general, when present, shall have the control of such cases. They may interchange official duties.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 12 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1927–2022 · leading case: Lodge v. Dist. Attorney for the Suffolk Dist., 486 N.E.2d 764 (Mass. App. Ct. 1985).
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Lodge v. Dist. Attorney for the Suffolk Dist., 486 N.E.2d 764 (Mass. App. Ct. 1985). · cites it 3× “,” G. L. c. 12, § 27; (2) to appear for the Commonwealth in jury-of-six cases in the District Courts, G.”
Town of Burlington v. Dist. Attorney for the N. Dist., 412 N.E.2d 331 (Mass. 1980). · cites it 2× “District attorneys within their respective districts “shall appear for the commonwealth in the superior court 6 in all cases, criminal or civil, in which the commonwealth is a party or interested.”
Miller v. City of Boston, 297 F. Supp. 2d 361 (D. Mass. 2003). · cites it 2× “12, § 27 provides as follows: District attorneys within their respective districts shall appear for the [Commonwealth in the superior court in all cases, criminal or civil, in which the [CJommon-wealth is a party or interested, and in the hearing, in the supreme judicial court,…”
Commonwealth v. Twitchell, 617 N.E.2d 609 (Mass. 1993). · cites it 2× “See also G.L.c. 12, § 27 (1992 ed.). He is statutorily empowered to "give his opinion upon questions of law submitted to him" by the executive branch or the Legislature.”
Town of Burlington v. Labor Relations Comm'n, 454 N.E.2d 465 (Mass. 1983). · cites it 2× “G. L. c. 12, § 27. The Legislature also requires the district attorneys to appear in all cases tried in jury sessions of the District Courts.”
Dist. Attorney for the Suffolk Dist. v. Watson, 411 N.E.2d 1274 (Mass. 1980). “See G. L. c. 12, § 27 (“but the attorney general, when present, shall have the control of such case,” i.”
Commonwealth v. Torres, 98 N.E.3d 155 (Mass. 2018). “258], and may assist them in the defense of such actions"), and G. L. c. 12, § 27 ("District attorneys within their respective districts shall appear for the commonwealth in the superior court in all cases, criminal or civil, in which the commonwealth is a party or interested,…”
Root v. MacDonald, 54 A.L.R. 1422 (Mass. 1927). “See in this connection G. L. c. 12, § 27. As was said in Ex parte Grossman, 267 U.”
Commonwealth v. Haddad, 308 N.E.2d 899 (Mass. 1974). “G. L. c. 12, § 27. Commonwealth v. Buck, 285 Mass.”
Burlington Police Dep't v. Robert M. Hagopian., 100 Mass. App. Ct. 720 (Mass. App. Ct. 2022). “Accord G. L. c. 12, § 27 ("District attorneys within their respective districts shall appear for the commonwealth in the superior court in all cases, criminal or civil, in which the commonwealth is a party or interested"); G.”
Dist. Attorney v. Magraw, 616 N.E.2d 106 (Mass. App. Ct. 1993). “” G. L. c. 12, § 27. In this case, the district attorney alleges that the testimony of Nancy Magraw’s attorney and psychotherapist will shed light on Nancy’s state of mind in the last days before her death and is likely to lead to information about a motive to kill her.”
Commonwealth v. Mello, 413 N.E.2d 1130 (Mass. App. Ct. 1980). “Friedman became mayor in January of 1976, and the trial took place in April and May of that year.”
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